Black Myth: Starting from the Destined One
Chapter 84 - 80: Horse Theft

Chapter 84: Chapter 80: Horse Theft

"If you also wish to overthrow the Dog Emperor Li Gai in the future, as long as you don’t harm anyone, you may take this jade pendant and join the Futang Group. When necessary, you may even impersonate me to lead the Futang Group. After all, you are genuine and honest, of noble character, and you saved my life. You are also helping me with a task, consider it repaying a favor."

Li Ping’an accepted the jade pendant and wore it on his body, but he had no thought of how to use the pendant, only wanting to relay a message for Zhuge Weiwei, nothing more.

"Then I thank you very much, Mr. Zhuge. I will definitely help you with the task you assigned, although it may take some time."

"There’s no rush for this matter, take it slow, and first help me up!"

Li Ping’an frowned slightly, wondering if Zhuge Weiwei was afraid of involving others and didn’t want to escape. Why else would he need to get up? But he didn’t think too much about it and helped him up.

With Li Ping’an’s assistance, Zhuge Weiwei staggered to the body of the colonel, dipped his hand in blood, and wrote on the hall’s pillar:

The killer is Futang Group’s Military Advisor, Zhuge Weiwei!

"Mr. Zhuge, what is this ..."

The more Li Ping’an watched, the more he couldn’t understand what Zhuge Weiwei was trying to do. He didn’t flee, he didn’t leave, just wasting time doing inexplicable things.

"Please spread my unwavering resolve and passion across the mountains and rivers of the Great Tang. I want to continue to overthrow this corrupt world along with the people of Great Tang!"

After saying this with tears streaming down while staring at the pillar, Zhuge Weiwei, embracing the resolve to die, suddenly broke free from Li Ping’an’s grasp and rammed his head into the pillar.

"Big brother, what are you saying? I don’t understand, speak clearly!"

Li Ping’an was also caught off guard by this sudden event; by the time he reacted, Zhuge Weiwei, with a bleeding head, had already passed away.

"Such a loyal and courageous person is rare in this world. I, Li Ping’an, will definitely fulfill your last wish!"

Only then did Li Ping’an realize that Zhuge Weiwei intended to take the blame for the murder, creating a situation with no evidence of his involvement. This way, no one would suspect Li Ping’an, and even if there were suspicions, they would only suspect it was someone from the Futang Group. It was indeed a well-intentioned plan.

Deeply moved, Li Ping’an laid down Zhuge Weiwei’s body, knelt respectfully, and bowed three times. He quickly recited the "Rebirth Mantra" and liberated his soul.

"Elder Zuo has arrived!"

A voice announcing the arrival echoed from outside the hall. Li Ping’an immediately turned to look at the main hall’s door and used his Divine Power: Insight into the Hidden to see that there were at least fifty people approaching.

"Farewell, Mr. Zhuge! I must go too! The wind is tight, shout ’Hu’!"

Li Ping’an instantly got up, grabbed his staff, and ran towards the hall’s back door.

"Something’s not right!"

Someone outside exclaimed and rushed over, kicking open the great hall’s door. They then saw the bodies of Zhuge Weiwei, the Qi County Magistrate, and the colonel, and caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure escaping through the back door.

"Hey you there, where do you think you’re going!"

Zuo Qianhu immediately gave chase but was just a step too late, and Li Ping’an was nowhere to be seen. He leaped onto the roof of the hall to look around, but it was just thick darkness everywhere.

When he returned inside the hall, his men began examining the area. Zuo Qianhu walked over to the pillar and seeing the blood writing and looking again at Zhuge Weiwei’s body, he couldn’t help but tilt his head in a sigh:

"Ah, Mr. Zhuge, why go to such lengths..."

"Sir, we’ve checked everywhere, and there are only these three bodies beyond,"

a subordinate standing next to Zuo Qianhu reported.

"Now that Futang Group’s Military Advisor, Zhuge Weiwei, is dead, how should we deal with this matter?"

Zuo Qianhu looked at Zhuge Weiwei’s body with pity and said:

"The dead owe nothing, give Mr. Zhuge a proper burial!"

"And what about the bodies of the Qi County Magistrate and that Colonel?"

The subordinate continued to ask for instructions.

Zuo Qianhu glared fiercely at the bodies of the Qi County Magistrate and the Colonel and cursed:

"I had long heard that the Qi County Magistrate was a greedy dog official who sought wealth at the cost of lives, fostering a den of vermin that torment the locality. If it weren’t for the face of the State Preceptor, I would have wanted to kill these two thieves long ago! Now that they are dead, it’s even better, sparing me the trouble of doing it myself. Their bodies should be chopped up and fed to dogs, not buried!"

"Yes, Elder."

Then the subordinate ordered others to carry out the bodies of Zhuge Weiwei, the Qi County Magistrate, and the Colonel. As Zuo Qianhu was pondering how to explain to the State Preceptor, suddenly a messenger soldier burst in from outside.

"Elder Zuo, the State Preceptor commands, today in a village near Chang’an, traces of Imperial Censor Xiao Wangba and other rebels have been found. Please dispatch someone to escort Zhuge Weiwei to Chang’an and capture Xiao Wangba and the other rebels!"

"Immediately report back to the State Preceptor that Zhuge Weiwei died fighting the Qi County Magistrate. Once I’ve dealt with this place, I will head out to capture Imperial Censor Xiao Wangba and the other rebels!"

"Yes, Elder!"

The messenger soldier left with Zuo Qianhu’s order, and Zuo Qianhu immediately wiped off the bloodstains on the pillars and took most of his men toward a village near Chang’an City.

Li Ping’an fled through the night. After escaping Qi County, he traveled another twenty li eastward. Late into the night, exhausted, he thought to rest atop a large tree.

As he walked through an area thick with flowers and trees, he saw a horse grazing under a large tree that could be embraced by five men. Approaching, Li Ping’an noted it was indeed a fine horse.

"Does this horse have an owner?"

Li Ping’an looked around asking, but got no reply. He then searched around the horse but saw no one.

"I’ve been running for two of the twelve two-hour periods, my feet are so sore and nearly blistered, it must be fate that this horse is here for me to ride, saving me much strength!"

Li Ping’an speculated that the horse’s owner might have been eaten by wolves, insects, tigers, or leopards, or killed by bandits who stopped him, otherwise it was unlikely for someone to abandon the horse and leave in the middle of the night in such a deserted place.

"I’ll consider these ten taels of silver as payment for the horse!"

Li Ping’an took ten taels of silver from his bag, placed them under the tree, and then mounted the horse.

"Giddy up!"

Li Ping’an whipped the horse and headed in the direction of Chang’an to the east, sitting on the horseback in a meditative posture to rest and rejuvenate.

"The master commanded me to come down the mountain to protect this Imperial Censor Xiao Wangba. It’s been so many days, and we still haven’t found him. All this time sleeping rough, eating whatever, it even gave me diarrhea for a day!"

A young Taoist carrying a sword, holding up his trousers and tightening his belt, walked toward the tree.

"Eh? Where is my horse?"

The Taoist was shocked and hurried to the spot but saw no horse, only ten liang of silver. He immediately leaped onto the tree and looked down the dirt road, spotting someone riding his horse eastward about five hundred meters away!

"Thief, stop stealing my horse!"

Knowing that his horse was a swift steed capable of covering great distances, and that he could not catch up on foot, the Taoist pulled a talisman from his sleeve and shouted at the ground:

"Earth Escape Technique!"

The talisman burned up, and the Taoist instantly burrowed into the ground, pursuing the horse as the chase continued until dawn.